No Hero

ncing days I never had a better waltz. To my delight she had one other left, though near the end, and we were actually dancing when an excitable person came out of the card-room, fl

pathy for the injured husband. The man was quite unpresentable, and I had seen no more of him at

efore a ball-room, but with the contempt that leads captivity captive. Seldom have I admired anything more. It was splendid even to remember, the ready outward obedience, the not less apparen

ar it? And even supposing they had married, what had happened to the second husband? Widow or no widow, second marriage or no second marriage, defen

orst fears were true enough, so far as the lady was concerned; and that Providence alone could have inspired her to call in an agent who knew what I knew, and who therefore saw his duty as plainly as I already saw mine. But i

ormer-window of my room under the roof. And in the sunlight, looking his best in knickerbockers, as only thin men do, with face greased

w your room full of light I thought you might have been even ear

er there was something that he wished and yet hesit

it plain that that old idiot George is not the only one who has been talking about us, and some of the talk has reached her ears. She doesn't say so in so many words, but I can see it's that. She wants to get out of our expedition to Mont

of the crowd, of which I had been able to form some opinion of my own. But I had already noticed in Bob the exclusiveness of the type to which he belonged, and ha

ou," I said at length,

does matter

no temptation to smile. I had to confine my mind pretty closely to the general principle, and rather studiously to i

fellow,

isappointed

r would be anything between us. The idea's absurd. We are absolute pals and nothing else. That's what makes a

ask you to

That's the

and he ask

uld be the best answer to

that Mrs. Lascelles might now have another object in getting rid of her swain f

f that's her game I'll play it like a book. So long, Duncan! I'm not one of those

u," I reminded the boy, with a cowar

o do." And he went away to do it there and then, like the b

make no further effort to expound; for this interview had not altered, but only intensified them; and in a

eshness, than had ever before entered my lungs; and to get up and look out of the window was to peer into the limpid brilliance of a gigantic crystal, where the smallest object was in startling focus, and the very s

elescope out and trained upon a party on the Matterhorn. A group of people were waiting turns at the telescope, my friend Quinby and the hanging

cope," said the jocose judge, "fifteen Augusts ru

e me wince and Sir John's eye twinkle. I fancied he had formed an unkind estimate of my rather overpowering friend, and lived to hear my impres

. "They ought to have a constable

rienced eye could discern the three midges strung on

the lower edge of the top slope. It's just a little way along to the right where the first acci

egale me with a lightning sketch of the first accide

friend of yours?"

e

y availed himself of the first opportunity of

," he told me confidential

dee

me by th

evidently had an effect. Evers has gone off al

ed my p

keep an eye on

ook up. He has the best room in the hotel; the only trouble is that it doesn't face the sun all day; he's not used to being in the shade, and you'll

y enterprising young fr

any expeditions you

puzzled. "Why do you ask?

s to-day. It would have been an excellent opportunity

a bit of it. So far from resenting the rebuff, the fellow plucked my sleeve, a

!" he whispered.

ing for such natural brilliance, a brilliance of eyes and teeth and colouring, a more uncommon brilliance of expression. Indeed it was a wonderful expression, brave rather than sweet, yet capable of sweetness too, and for the moment at least nobly free from the defensive bitte

allowing you! Well, then, between us, if you insist. He

a trashy novel, that somehow brought Catherine Evers rather sharply before my mind's eye) in an isolation as complete as could be f

o that hut after al

Evers will never forgive me," she added after her look, in the rich und

-he and I-and again lying before I realised that it was a lie. But Mrs. Lascelles sat looking up at me with her fine and candid eyes, as though she knew as well as I which was the real coincid

ot to stand about so m

ling faintly as I prep

ou any harm?" she inqui

I am ordered to take a

walk

s. Lascelles, if I

ught. I guessed what she wa

r, Captain Clephane. But you have to c

. "It's within the meaning of the act-it would do m

boldness on which I was already complimenting m

take you at all,

ery much hop

y as they had done by mat

. Lascelles, "because I